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St Louis Missouri Temple
Temple History The St Louis Missouri Temple is the 50th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the first completed in the state of Missouri. The St. Louis Missouri Temple is a prominent landmark on the North Outer Forty—just west of its junction with I-270—in the charming St. Louis suburb of Town and Country. Dozens of trees and shrubs grace the grounds of the temple, creating a stunning tree-lined approach to the entrance, anchored by a tranquil circular water feature. The public is welcome to walk the grounds of the temple to admire the beautifully landscaped gardens and to feel the peace that abides about this holy structure. The St. Louis Missouri Temple was the first temple built in Missouri, though temple sites were dedicated in the 1830s in Independence, Far West, and Adam-ondi-Ahman. The site for the St. Louis Missouri Temple was approved by each member of the First Presidency. Each was individually escorted to six possible sites, and each in turn selected the same site to build the temple. Nearly 5,000 people gathered to witness the groundbreaking for the St. Louis Missouri Temple on an exceptionally cold and breezy day. "This may sound strange," said President Gordon B. Hinckley who presided over the services, "but I am rather glad it is cold. I think it brings us to a greater appreciation for the Saints who left the state of Missouri in 1838 under the orders of the then governor; a tragic episode in the history of our people, and I think that it must be so for Missouri." Construction of the St. Louis Missouri Temple was well received by residents and enthusiastically welcomed by the mayor, aldermen, and alderwoman of Town and Country and other local officials. Their warm reception reflected the refuge found in St. Louis in the 1830s when Saints fled from persecution in Western Missouri and Illinois. Extensive news coverage was given to the St. Louis Missouri Temple open house including a front-page story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a full-page article in USA Today with graphics representing the interior floor plan. Temple District The St. Louis Missouri Temple serves members from 10 stakes headquartered in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois: Eastern Missouri # Cape Girardeau Missouri Stake # Columbia Missouri Stake # Hazelwood Missouri Stake # Lake St Louis Missouri Stake # St Louis Missouri South Stake # St Louis Missouri Stake # St Robert Missouri Stake # West Plains Missouri Stake Southern Illinois # O'Fallon Illinois Stake # Springfield Illinois Stake Presidents # Matthew Thomas 2018– # Terry R. Clegg 2015–2018 # George D. Bankhead 2012–2015 # G. Richard Oscarson 2009–2012 # Wendell E. Brown 2006–2009 # Michael W. Barker 2003–2006 # Neal C. Lewis 2000–2003 # Menlo F. Smith 1997–2000 See Also * LDS Church in Missouri * United States List of Stakes of the Church * Mormon Temples List References St Louis Temple The St Louis Missouri Temple is the 50th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the first temple built in Missouri. Sitting on a prominent landmark on the North Outer Forty—just west of the city where dozens of trees and shrubs grace the grounds of the temple, creating a stunning tree-lined approach to the entrance, anchored by a tranquil circular water feature. The public is welcome to walk the grounds of the temple to admire the beautifully landscaped gardens and to feel the peace that abides about this holy structure. Category:1990 Category:1997 Category:St Louis Category:Missouri Category:United States Temples Category:Temples of the Church Category:Gordon B Hinckley